Lame Duck Review: Conservatives Demanded Principled Results

From the beginning, we knew this lame duck would intense, with Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and their liberal allies working feverishly to ram through as much as they could before the new Congress. We didn’t expect Harry Reid to eat our lunch, though. As Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) explained, “This has been a capitulation in two weeks of dramatic proportions of policies that wouldn’t have passed in the new Congress.”

Read more to see our lame duck video and review what Congress did…

Obama’s Tax Deal: Opposing the tax deal was an easy call – we oppose unneeded spending, corporate welfare, and the death tax. Thousands of conservatives turned up the heat, sending a strong message that Americans are tired of business as usual, backroom deals and unchecked spending. This put Washington on notice.

Spending: Conservatives pressure worked – Congress rejected a bloated $1.1 trillion spending bill. We beat back the culture of spending in Washington, forcing Congress to pass a short term spending measure. We’ll have another spending fight in early March when 60+ plus new conservatives will be in Congress.

Earmarks: We won two unqualified victories on earmarks. Senate and House Republicans voted to ban earmarks. Conservative activists made both victories possible, especially in the Senate. A few short days after conservatives began calling Republican Senators, they got the message and made the right decision.

New START: Conservative activists called Senators thousands of times. Heritage Action gathered precise intelligence, allowing us to target key offices and highlight specific deals. Although the treaty was ratified, it faced historic opposition and now the administration must be held accountable for the treaty’s unintended, but not unforeseen, consequences.

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For too long, big-government special interests have dominated Washington. Heritage Action's DC-based staff and local activists break through the establishment in Washington, ensuring Members of Congress get the right message.